4 Things to Do When You Aren’t Awarded a Bid

Most of your time and energy will be spent on projects you’re awarded, but what happens when a customer decides to go in a different direction? This can be an important question to ask, especially if you’ve put a significant amount of time or energy into a construction proposal.

Knowing how to react when you aren’t awarded a job is important. If you know what to do in order to recover and move on, you’ll stand a much greater chance of winning the next one. With that in mind, here are three things to do when you aren’t awarded a construction job:

1. Find out why (if you can). A lot of contractors simply shrug off projects they haven’t been awarded and never think about them again. Moving on is always a good idea, of course, but see if you can find out why your potential customer went in another direction. If it’s something to do with your marketing, payment terms, or reputation, you might be able to fix things and win more jobs in the future.

2. Fix any problems in your business. Finding out about problems that affect your business is one thing; actually fixing them is another matter altogether. It can be difficult or painful to hear that you didn’t meet someone’s standards of quality. If you hear similar complaints or concerns again and again, though, it’s best to take them to heart and solve the issue rather than letting them cost you more money in the future.

3. Step up your marketing. It’s a lot easier to get over a proposal that doesn’t go your way if you have several other projects in the works. In other words, always be marketing yourself and your company so you’ll never find yourself too dependent on any single customer or project – especially when you haven’t been awarded it yet.

4. Mind your manners. If someone asks you for a proposal but doesn’t accept it, don’t be angry about their decision. Be polite and thank them for their interest. You never know when they might have a change of heart (particularly if another contractor doesn’t do a great job), or when they’ll be in a position to send more work your way in the future. Being a professional can go a long way toward helping build your reputation.

Are you thinking of becoming a licensed contractor in California? Now could be the perfect time to visit CSLS and see how we make it easier than ever to achieve your dream of becoming a self-employed business owner.